Before the towering gates of Konohagakure.
Two ninja guards were yawning in boredom.
They were discussing which izakaya to drink at that evening.
Suddenly, footsteps came from the distant forest.
The guards immediately gripped their kunai warily.
"Stop!"
"Who goes there?"
Kakashi's signature languid voice rang out.
"It's us."
He emerged from the shade of the trees with Team 7's three genin and a large scroll.
Once the guard recognized them, he immediately relaxed.
He greeted them with a smile.
"Oh!"
"It's you, Kakashi!"
"You finished a C-rank mission that quickly?"
"Looks like it was an easy one."
Kakashi gave a bitter chuckle without offering much explanation.
Easy?
If the monster who ground hundreds of people into pulp and fired lasers from his eyes hadn't been on the team.
Then it really would have been easy.
Kakashi nodded.
"We'll head to the Hokage Building to report on the mission first."
He led Team 7 straight toward the center of the village.
Along the way, Naruto kept complaining incessantly about the lack of good ramen in the Land of Waves.
Sasuke, meanwhile, remained silent, staring darkly at Shengu Xuan's back.
Shengu Xuan still looked as nonchalant as ever, his hands in his pockets.
As though everything around him had nothing to do with him.
In the office on the top floor of the Hokage Building.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his spacious desk, puffing away on his pipe.
The wrinkles on his face seemed etched with the wear of the years.
Yet his seemingly clouded eyes held a shrewdness that saw through everything.
A knock sounded at the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
Kakashi pushed the door open and entered.
He placed a thick mission report on the Third Hokage's desk.
"Lord Hokage."
"Team 7 has completed its mission in the Land of Waves."
"This is the detailed report."
The Third Hokage picked up the report and opened it casually.
But when he saw its contents.
His half-lidded eyes suddenly flew wide open!
"Encountered Kirigakure rogue ninja Zabuza Momochi..."
"C-rank mission upgraded to A-rank..."
"Shengu Xuan suspected of possessing immensely powerful Fire Release that requires no hand seals..."
"Shengu Xuan instantly healed himself after sustaining severe injuries..."
"Suspected of possessing high-level Medical Ninjutsu or a kekkei genkai..."
"Shengu Xuan fired high-energy heat rays from both eyes..."
"Instantly vaporized the Yuki Clan's kekkei genkai, Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals..."
"Shengu Xuan summoned ten gigantic black creatures, each over five meters tall..."
"One-sided massacre of more than two hundred members of Gato's gang..."
The Third Hokage's hands began to tremble slightly, beyond his control.
He abruptly raised his head and stared fixedly at Kakashi.
His voice grew hoarse from extreme shock.
"Kakashi..."
"Nothing in this report was exaggerated?"
Kakashi drew a deep breath and nodded solemnly.
"Lord Hokage."
"I stake my integrity and my Sharingan on it."
"I witnessed every word of that report with my own eyes."
"Shengu Xuan..."
"Displayed power that completely defied common sense and even went beyond the scope of ninjutsu."
"I suspect something we cannot comprehend is hidden within him."
The Third Hokage set down the report.
"Instant healing..."
"Rays from his eyes..."
"Summoning giant monsters..."
He took a deep pull on his pipe, then slowly exhaled thick smoke.
Trying to conceal the turmoil within him.
As the Professor of Ninjutsu, he was proficient in over a thousand of Konoha's ninjutsu.
He had seen countless geniuses and monsters.
But the abilities Shengu Xuan had displayed in the report completely shattered his understanding!
These were phenomena that chakra simply could not explain!
A trace of gravity flashed through the Third Hokage's eyes.
"This child is too dangerous."
Konoha needed geniuses.
But it did not need an uncontrollable monster who could become a ticking time bomb at any moment!
Especially if that old fellow Danzo learned about this-the consequences would be unimaginable.
The Third Hokage spoke gravely.
"Kakashi, you may leave."
"Team 7 will have three days off for now."
Kakashi acknowledged him, then turned and left the office.
"Yes."
He knew the Third Hokage was about to take action.
After Kakashi left, the Third Hokage called softly into the empty office.
"Tenzo."
An Anbu ninja wearing a cat mask instantly appeared before the desk, kneeling on one knee.
Whoosh!
The Third Hokage's tone carried unquestionable authority.
"Bring Shengu Xuan here in secret."
"Remember, don't alert anyone."
"Especially Root."
The Anbu ninja instantly vanished from the spot.
"Yes!"
Half an hour later.
The door to the Hokage's office was pushed open again.
Escorted by two Anbu, Shengu Xuan swaggered inside.
He showed none of the reverence an ordinary genin would show the Hokage.
Instead, he picked a chair at random and plopped down.
He even crossed his legs.
Shengu Xuan yawned, his tone full of impatience.
"Old man."
"What do you want with me?"
"I was just about to go to Ichiraku Ramen."
At the sight, the two Anbu ninja immediately moved to step forward and reprimand him.
But the Third Hokage stopped them with a wave.
Looking at the flippant boy before him, the Third Hokage sighed inwardly.
He put away his pipe and adopted a kindly smile.
Trying to draw closer with a gentle tone.
"Xuan."
"You performed exceptionally well on this mission in the Land of Waves."
"Kakashi couldn't praise you enough in his report."
Shengu Xuan raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"Really?"
"Then shouldn't you give me a bonus?"
"I risked my life to protect my comrades, you know."
The corner of the Third Hokage's eye twitched.
Risked your life?
The report said you were the one slaughtering everyone else!
The Third Hokage changed tack, his tone growing somewhat weighty.
"Of course there will be a bonus."
"But, Xuan."
"Konoha is one big family."
"Every one of us ninja is a leaf."
"We burn ourselves to protect this great tree."
"That is the Will of Fire."
The Third Hokage began the psychological manipulation routine he excelled at.
"I read Kakashi's report."
"You possess power that is extremely strong, even miraculous."
"If you use this power to protect the village, you will become a hero of Konoha."
"But if this power goes out of control."
"Or is exploited by someone with ill intentions."
"It will be a disaster for the entire village."
The Third Hokage's gaze sharpened as he stared fixedly at Shengu Xuan.
"Xuan."
"Tell me."
"Where exactly did your power come from?"
"What exactly is your attitude toward Konoha?"
This was both a probe and a warning.
The Third Hokage was warning Shengu Xuan.
He should not think a little power meant he could do whatever he pleased.
In Konoha, he was the supreme ruler.
If Shengu Xuan could not prove his loyalty.
He would not mind resorting to certain special measures.
Listening to the Third Hokage's high-sounding words, Shengu Xuan could not help laughing aloud.
"Heh heh..."
"Hahaha!"
Laughter echoed through the spacious office, laced with undisguised mockery.
Shengu Xuan stopped smiling and leaned forward slightly.
Two points of unnerving dark red light gradually appeared in his pitch-black eyes.
"Old man."
"Have you been sitting in that chair so long that your brain's gone soft?"
Shengu Xuan's voice turned bone-chillingly cold.
"You want to talk to me about the Will of Fire?"
"About protecting the village?"
"Do you really think I don't know how much dirty business hides behind this village's shiny facade?"
"Do you really think I don't know what that Danzo, who spends all day hiding underground like a rat, is doing behind closed doors?"
The Third Hokage's expression changed drastically!
He had never imagined that a newly graduated Genin would dare call Danzo by name to his face!
And he even seemed to know about Root's existence!
"You..."
The Third Hokage abruptly rose to his feet.
The chakra inside him erupted uncontrollably.
An immense pressure instantly enveloped the entire office.
The two Anbu Ninja immediately drew their Ninja Blades as well, surrounding Shengu Xuan.
Yet faced with the Third Hokage's pressure and the Anbu's blades, Shengu Xuan did not even blink.
The dark red light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
A terrifying aura, a hundred times more violent and a thousand times hotter than the Third Hokage's, erupted from his body!
Two thin, dark red laser beams, each only as thick as a toothpick, shot from Shengu Xuan's eyes.
Sizzle!
The beams skimmed past the Third Hokage's cheek and instantly pierced the rock face of Hokage Rock behind him!
Boom!
A charred hole of unfathomable depth, its edges turned glassy, was left in the hard rock face!
The Third Hokage froze in place as a lock of white hair beside his cheek was instantly vaporized by the intense heat.
He could clearly sense the destructive power contained in that beam.
If Shengu Xuan's gaze had shifted just an inch moments earlier...
His head would have already become a cloud of steam!
The red light in Shengu Xuan's eyes gradually faded.
He stood up and brushed off his clothes.
"Old man."
"Put away those tricks you use to fool children."
"I'm only staying in Konoha because it's still fairly interesting here for now."
"Don't provoke me."
"And don't let that old dog Danzo bother me either."
"Otherwise..."
Shengu Xuan walked to the door, then looked back with a devilish smile.
"I wouldn't mind making Konoha disappear from this world entirely."
With that, Shengu Xuan pushed open the door and strode away.
Only the Third Hokage and the two Anbu Ninja remained in the office, drenched in cold sweat.
Shengu Xuan was in an excellent mood as he walked along Konoha's bustling streets.
Having given Konoha's higher-ups a warning, he should be able to enjoy considerably more peace and quiet in the days ahead.
Just then, his gaze happened to fall on the entrance of a ninja tool shop by the road.
A wooden dummy used to display armor stood there.
That strange stirring inside him grew intense once again!
Thump!
Thump!
[Ding!] [Detected resonance between the host's strong desire to bestow and the target inanimate object!] [Conditions for activating a new ability met!]
Shengu Xuan's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Has it finally come..."
Before you continue